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Obviously this is not one of the usual travel guides and fashion blog post. This blog is more of an appreciation post of the people behind the success of every tourism video posted online, specifically the ones defining the Iloilo community. I’ve been with these guys for quite a while and waking up today with no schedule of visiting another attraction made me reminisce our journeys together (Separation anxiety alert #SEPANX).

The video bounded by genuine people, built by friendship and good stories to tell will be out this June 12, 2017. The tourism video is a project of the Iloilo Province. Helicam Philippines was tasked to film and highlight the attractions of my beloved hometown. I can still recall receiving a txt from Bryan Te, the founder of Helicam that they’d like me to work with them on promoting the province of Iloilo. Despite the fact that this is “work” for me, I’d still insist that Work is not work when you’re enjoying the company you’re with and that’s exactly how this whole Helicam experience felt like.

I’ve met a group of young business men (Bryan Te, Alphonse Cayayan and Philip Darroca with Denney Llorente a good friend of HeliCam PH) who eventually ventured their luck on pursuing their passion of Heli films and recording their travels and adventures together. Posting their passions online then brought their luck to another level and was blessed with numerous projects from various sectors of the tourism industry. Brands have been contacting them and demanding them to film events, in short we kinda have the same story… A passion turned profession.

For those who have been following me, you know how much I am into people who are very much passionate with the things they do. I’ve always believed that doing what you love will always bring out the best in you. Enough with my very long introduction.

Allow me to highlight who this people are behind the Camera…and why my story with Helicam Philippines will inspire your next journey to love life more.

A project must always contain the heart of the group

I mentioned “group” because based on how I’ve observed their team, I’ve noticed that consultations or random opinions are honored. There’s no such thing as ranking, all ideas are welcome and are being honed into a much more meaningful story and eventually is translated into a wonderful film.

2. Never not on a vacation

I have to be honest, on the first few weeks of traveling with them, I got really exhausted and even posted a status online that ” I need a real vacation, not coming from any blog collaborations or marketing trips”. A lot of my friends from the blogging industry told me to enjoy the trip and not think of it as work. Moreover they even asked me to put my heart to each and every trip so I could share more of my experiences than just listicles (which goes viral most of the time). I guess I was on the adjustment stage of career, wherein I used to be hungry for projects and collaboration offers and now that I’m being thrown into the “Good Luck” waterfall, I’m literally having a hard time finding my place again. Helicam Philippines did play the biggest part on making me realize how important it is to think of work as a vacation. I can still picture their random laughter on my mind every single time I don’t get their joke in an instant (Trust me, I’m another version of “slow” in real life. *winks* ). What I’d like to emphasize is that, these people made the whole trip easier and stress free by treating the project as some kind of vacation. The whole journey felt like documenting an escape from our busy lives in the metro and I think that’s what made this video genuine.

3. Be a light on each other’s Shoulder ( Me learning to swim in an open water)

Working with a team might be stressful for some people, but I have to insist that if you’re working with the right group of company you’d be able to light each other’s shoulder and be the best version of your selves. A certain scenario I can give you is based on experience. I’ve always been a chicken when it comes to swimming in the open water. I’m a coffee lover and I really think that this habit has been slowly eating my system, giving me a super over acting persona whenever I’m tasked to do things such as swimming in the middle of the open sea. And voila dear, I was tasked to face my fear and swim in the middle of no where for several times in this project (Sicogon, Banate, Concepcion and more).

I was trembling I swear, but laughing at the same time too, it seems really funny for me to face my fear without any other choice (I mean heller Lev, you signed a contract and this is your job.) I honestly thought that they’d ask me to swim with no help from a floating device, but the moment they knew I can’t manage to swim without it, they immediately provided me with a life jacket.

Off to snorkel and pretend like a good swimmer, we first had this activity in Banate, Iloilo – Marine Reserve. The experience was literally jaw dropping and made me even fall in love with life underwater, Philip was there with me to model and assist me since it was my first time. The next snorkeling activity was done in Sicogon, the view beneath us wasn’t as glamorous compared to the corals I’ve witnessed and seen in Banate, however the experience was a little bit way more memorable this time. The sea current was unmanageable and felt really scary, I was secretly praying I won’t be washed further from the team, for 10 -15 minutes I’ve been struggling to swim back to the group but have not been able to do so. Good thing Philip was watching me and noticed I’m no longer moving from my location, he then started pulling me back to boat, Gah! That saved me from danger.

How did I learn to swim?

We did another shoot in Concepcion Iloilo, this time they asked me to swim without a life jacket just near the shore. Philip however offered his hand and brought me on the deeper side of the sea, where the corals were located. This time I’m no longer the OA city girl who’d probably say no to the offer and ask for a life jacket. This time I took the risk and swam with Philip. I couldn’t be prouder, swimming without the life jacket made me felt like I grew in character, in spirit that I was slowly honed into a better version of me. On this part of the journey, I must say that HelicamPH played the role of being the light on my shoulder.

4. “Oh well” is better than “What if”

I’ve never tried trekking nor spelunking, but this project demands me to do it and be into it.

I’m scared of the dark and crawling objects, I’ve always loved the city lights but being able to explore the caves in Dingle and trek in the vast mountains of Iloilo province, subconsciously shaped me into a “go-getter”. Discovering the natural habitats of bats and the wonders brought by the caves made me understand that the physical abilities of a person does not depend on experiences but rather on determination. The humbling experience of being part of this tourism project found the road to my heart. Despite all the gained travel scratches and painted wounds from the trek, I’d still choose to say “oh well!” than “what if” .

5. Our stars shines brighter when we’re with real friends

Literally. Reminiscing the small talks we had together after the shoot, the laughter, the hardships brought by travel glitches… I knew we have each other’s back no matter what. I guess you already know were this post is going. Yes, travel did it again. Travel brought our souls closer and built a friendship bound to last till the stars refuse to shine. I do believe that working with genuine people will light up our lives more and make our stars shine the brightest.

There you go. Those were the five life lessons I got from my journey with Helicam Philippines. I hope that you guys would continue to follow your heart, find your purpose and pursue your passion. Be blessed and enjoy the rest of the day!

“It has to be Iloilo”

A Tourism Video project made possible by the Tourism Province of Iloilo. A film captured and weaved by HELICAM PHILIPPINES(in collaboration with hugginghorizons.com) is up live on Facebook and VIMEO (For Hi Res) this June 12, 2017. Stay tuned in and follow us online to stay updated.

Levy Anne Amosin

Travel x Fashion Blogger & Young CEO
Established in 2016. Hugging Horizons caters Travel & Fashion Trends. The website started as an outlet for my personal travel confessions. A quick bio... I was born in Iloilo, raised in Manila (Philippines) but mostly stays in Hong Kong. My first love is writing next to Travel Photography. I aim to inspire my readers to Travel in style & I do believe that your passion will always be the best profession. With the combination of great photos & good reads my blog site engaged both local and international readers. Today, Hugging Horizons is a Brand magnet to most of my audience. I am continuously Traveling to work with good people to feed my readers & growing number of followers the latest trends about Travel & Fashion industries. I am always up for collaboration, Let's Work together, Contact me @ hugginghorizons@gmail.com